A young woman says she was shocked to see the “real gentleman” she once dated was the deranged mass murderer behind the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack.
The Gold Coast woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told WhatsNew2Day Australia about her brief relationship with knife-crazed Joel Cauchi, 40.
Cauchi was shot dead by lone police officer Amy Scott on Saturday afternoon after stabbing five women and a man to death and wounding at least a dozen others, including a nine-month-old girl.
But the woman said she barely recognized the savage killer, who stabbed the baby in her stroller, of the man she met on the Badoo dating app in April 2020.
A woman who was previously in a relationship with Westfield Bondi Junction cutler Joel Cauchi has revealed he was a ‘true gentleman’ (pictured is a photo Cauchi sent the woman between 2020 and 2021)
The woman (pictured), who does not wish to be identified, met Cauchi in 2020 and spent a year messaging him.
“I struck up a conversation with him for a while and then had a few drinks with him at his house in Brisbane. “He lived there with roommates,” he said.
“He was a lovely guy when I met him, definitely quiet and reserved. “I’m very surprised by what has happened.
“It’s hard to believe he killed these innocent people.”
She described Cauchi as a “true gentleman” but admitted they only met in person once because he wasn’t her type.
Despite this, the couple continued their relationship until 2021.
‘He was a very nice guy. Well spoken. I only saw him once, but after that we texted for a good year,” he said.
“To be honest, he seemed a bit nerdy to me, but we still kept in touch. “I live on the Gold Coast and he was living in Brisbane at the time.
Although Cauchi’s father previously told WhatsNew2Day Australia that the 40-year-old lived a “backpacker” lifestyle, which involved alternating between sleeping in his car and cheap hostels, the Gold Coast woman had no recollection that Cauchi was interested in traveling.
“He never mentioned traveling with me. That’s why I was surprised he was in Bondi,” he said.
Another woman who claims to have dated Cauchi said she stopped dating him because of his strange behavior.
‘We went to church together. I had a few coffee dates with him, but he had compulsions,” she said.
‘It was a bit strange so I stopped messaging him and then he said he was moving. I’m shocked.’
Cauchi (pictured) stabbed six people to death at Westfield Bondi Junction shortly before 4pm on Saturday.
The Gold Coast woman said Cauchi was ‘quiet’, ‘reserved’ and ‘nerdy’ (pictured, a photo Cauchi sent the woman between 2020 and 2021)
Since the shocking attack, several people who claim to have known or attended school with Cauchi have shared different accounts about him online.
One person, who claimed to be in the knife’s “close circle of friends” during high school in Toowoomba, southeast Queensland, gave some background on the strange behavior reported by Cauchi.
“He was one of those shy ones at school, always a little awkward, but whenever he did something it was always at full speed,” they wrote.
‘In retrospect, it probably didn’t regulate that well.
“He fell off the radar after school, but as far as I know, he didn’t maintain any friendships with his circle of schoolmates.”
They believe Cauchi was suffering a mental health episode at the time of the Westfield attack on Saturday, a theory shared by police and supported by his distraught parents.
Cauchi was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager and his parents said he had stopped taking his medications, triggering his psychosis.
“It may seem like misplaced empathy, but the Joel I knew would not have been himself, he would not have been in control of his actions as he attacked those people,” the friend wrote.
‘If there is a lesson, it is that mental illness sucks and we shouldn’t waste our time on it.
‘We shouldn’t be too hard on getting help ourselves when we need it, and when people reach out to us to connect, we should see it for what it is and not ignore them.
“Surely Joel isn’t the only one struggling.”
Joel Cauchi (pictured) was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager and is understood to have been unmedicated at the time of the attack.
Cauchi’s mother and father (pictured) described Saturday’s stabbing as “truly horrific” and said they have “no problem” with the officer who shot their son to death.
They also shared their solidarity with the loved ones of the six shoppers who died and were injured.
“I know it’s no consolation to the victims, this whole thing is a bloody tragedy for them and their families, for Joel and his family, and for everyone associated with the event who doesn’t feel so safe to shop there now.” , ‘ they wrote.
The six people who died in Saturday’s attack have been identified as mother Ashlee Good, 38, advertising heiress Dawn Singleton, 25, architect Jade Young, 47, artist Pikria Darchia, 55 , and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, and Chinese student Yixuan Cheng. 27.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed on Monday morning that Ashlee Good’s nine-month-old daughter’s condition has been upgraded from “critical” to “serious”.
The baby was rushed from Westfield Bondi Junction to Sydney Children’s Hospital after her mother handed her over to strangers when they were attacked by Cauchi.
New South Wales Police do not believe the stabbing was a terrorism incident, instead pointing to Cauchi’s history of mental illness.
His parents, Andrew and Michele Cauchi, spoke from their family home in Toowoomba on Sunday, calling the tragedy “truly horrific”.
They admitted their knife-obsessed son was a “monster” who hated women because he was “frustrated” at not being able to find a girlfriend, they said.
“He wanted a girlfriend and he has no social skills,” Mr. Cauchi said. “He was very frustrated.”
Cauchi is understood to have lodged a police complaint against his mother and father (pictured) for ‘stealing’ his knife collection after becoming obsessed
Six people were stabbed to death during the Cauchi attack and at least a dozen others were injured, including a nine-month-old girl.
The family appears to have had a strained relationship with some neighbors who claim they last saw Cauchi banging on his parents’ door, which they refused to open.
Just two months earlier, Cauchi had filed a police report against them for “stealing” his knife collection.
It is understood that his parents had taken possession of his collection due to growing concerns that he could be a danger to himself or others.
Cauchi’s close friend also spoke about his experience with his family.
“I played at his house a couple of times early in high school and he played at mine,” they said.
“His mother was the sweetest person ever, his father was prone to outbursts, in the few cases I saw, although he probably wouldn’t have been labeled that in the mid-90s.”
Cauchi’s father is known in the city for being “very religious” and raising carrier pigeons. He currently takes care of about 700 birds.
A neighbor told WhatsNew2Day Australia the couple were expecting Cauchi to return home this week as they needed help relocating some of the pigeons due to noise and odor complaints.
The parents reportedly quickly recognized their son in footage of Saturday’s attack and frantically contacted police to identify him.
The Cauchis said in a statement that they have “no problems” with the actions of the officer who shot and killed their son.
Cauchi’s parents said: ‘We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney’ (pictured, witnesses speaking to an officer at the scene)
“We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney yesterday,” they said.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still in treatment at this time.
‘Joel’s actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to understand what happened.
‘He has struggled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.
“We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and the Queensland Police Service and we have no issues with the police officer who shot our son because he was only doing his job to protect others and we hope “Let him manage well.”